Oregon City School District will convert a district-owned garage into a trades and agriculture learning site after receiving a $120,844 state grant, the district announced Monday, Oct. 5.

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Revitalization Grant from the Oregon Department of Education funds a two-year initiative called the Agricultural & Skilled Trades Collaborative Land Lab. Students at Oregon City High School, the Center for Advanced and Innovative Studies (CAIS) and Oregon City Service Learning Academy will use the site for agricultural science, construction and manufacturing coursework.

Plans call for retrofitting the garage, developing surrounding land for agricultural instruction and preparing the property for a future greenhouse and outdoor learning spaces.

Students in the CAIS carpentry and plumbing pre-apprenticeship programs and the Oregon City High School construction program will work alongside licensed tradespeople on real building and infrastructure projects at the site. The coursework aligns with OSHA safety standards and apprenticeship-readiness benchmarks.

Mike Stead, the district's CTE programs administrator, called the land lab "a generational project to support all Oregon City students." He said the grant will expand work-based learning opportunities for students to train alongside industry partners.

The district named several partners for the initiative. Clackamas Community College will provide postsecondary connections. UA Local 290 Plumbers & Pipefitters and the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters are among the labor organizations involved. Other partners include Clackamas Workforce Partnership, OSU Extension Service, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, the Home Builders Foundation, the Oregon City Area Chamber of Commerce and the local FFA chapter.

Career pathways include carpentry, plumbing, horticulture, irrigation, greenhouse management and sustainable land management.

To reach students historically underrepresented in trades and agricultural education, the district said it will offer bilingual family outreach, career exploration events, transportation help, free safety gear and tools, and mentoring from industry professionals.

The Land Lab grant is separate from a $5 million CTE expansion at Oregon City High School funded through the district's 2025 capital bond. That bond-funded project, covering trades, JROTC, digital media and robotics, was still in design as of an August 2026 board meeting. A December 2025 bond committee report had targeted construction to begin in summer 2026.

The 2025–27 grant period is already underway. The district has not announced a public timeline for construction at the garage site.